Fairyloot September Unboxing!

Hi all!

A few days ago I received some exciting mail and found my Fairyloot box had arrived! This is my first box from this company (I received the latest Illumicrate last month, and my review is here), and I have to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest! I can honestly say I loved every item in the box, and the fact that they were all linked together by a theme really makes the box unique. This month's theme was magic and mayhem, and I knew as soon as I heard it that it would be right up my street.

*There will be spoilers for the September Fairyloot box below, so if you haven't received yours yet then beware!*

The Bookish Goodies:

A Russian Doll necklace from Pastel Clouds Jewellery - This might be my favourite item in the box. Seriously, I love it so much that I've been wearing it non-stop since my box arrived! The charm is tiny but elegant, and the clasp is sturdy and hasn't broken so far.

An Etherealki candle from Castle of Fables - While I don't use candles often (about 90% of my room is wood so I'm not taking any chances!) the smell of this one is gorgeous. It reminds me of fudge and sweetness, and it's a decent size as well.

A Darker Shade of Magic themed badges - Unfortunately two of my badges had come away from the packaging, but luckily they weren't damaged and I now have four badges from one of my favourite books! I love that so many of the items in here were exclusively designed for Fairyloot.

A Felix Felicis sticker from BookOtter - The design of this is really pretty, even if I haven't read Harry Potter yet (*runs away from angry mobs*).

Postcards from Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom, and a Grisha Second Army poster - I am so excited to read this series, and these postcards are really good quality, while the poster is very eye-catching.

A Grisha notebook designed by Literary Emporium - I love Rio's work, and this notebook seems to be well-made and excellently designed.

The Book!

Now, all of the Grisha-related things in the box made me think that the book would be Crooked
Kingdoms, but instead it was Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter. I haven't heard much about this book, but it seems really interesting and I 'm intrigued to know more about the legend it was based on, 'Vassilissa the Beautiful'. It also came with a signed bookplate, a letter from the author, and a beautiful bookmark from Behind the Pages.

Final Thoughts:

Overall I was very happy with my first Fairyloot box! I love the cohesion between each of the items
and the little bag the book is a really unique idea. My only complaint would be is that the book just fits in the box so it's hard to take it out if it's at the bottom of the box.

Did you receive this month's Fairyloot? What did you think? Or if you've read Vassa in the Night what did you think of it?

Thanks for reading(:

5 Reasons Why You Should Absolutely Bookstagram!

Hi all!

I started off on bookstagram before I created my blog, and it has a special place in my heart. If you didn't know what bookstagram is, it's the book community on instagram that all post under the hashtag #bookstagram, and I thought I would try and convince you why you should definitely start a bookstagram account!

1. The community is one of the nicest you'll find on the internet (in my experiences anyway). Everyone is supportive and nice, and there are people who have made lifelong friendships through bookstagram! And if you ever lack inspiration, there are amazing photo challenges you can take a part in that bookstagrammers create every month! (Because they're incredibly creative and nice like that).

2. You can discover new hobbies! There are so many talented people on bookstagram that make me want to try drawing, calligraphy, and so many other new things.

3. You can connect with authors and publishers. I can't tell you how rewarding it is when an author likes or comments on your photos. The other day I posted a photo saying how much I liked Radio Girls, and the author saw it and commented, and I was really happy; not only are my photos gaining recognition, but the author has received a compliment too!

4. You can discover your new favourite book! I have lost count of the amount of times I've read a book because I've seen it on bookstagram, and while there are a few that were flops most of them have been great. Some popular series on bookstagram include the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer (my review for Cinder, the first book in the series, can be found here) and the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas (my review for the fourth book, Queen of Shadows, can be found here!).

5. You get to talk about books! No one minds if you ramble about your favourite series, no one minds if you squeal about a plot twist, and no one minds if you yell at them to beg them to read your favourite book EVER (and no one minds that actually you have ninety favourite books because they're in the same boat!). My friends read, but not as much as me, so bookstagram has given me an outlet to discuss my love of books with people who understand.

My bookstagram account is @Bowlerhatgirl1 if you want to follow me (shameless self-promotion there!).

Have I convinced you to join bookstagram? Or if you already have a bookstagram account, what's you're favourite thing about it?
Thanks for reading (:

Queen of Shadows - Review!

Hi all!

I finished Queen of Shadows a few days ago, and it was EPIC. I know now why everyone loves this series! I've heard that this is the book that divides people; you either love it or you hate it. Personally this and Crown of Midnight (the first half anyway) are my favourites in the series, and I would say that if you weren't too keen on Heir of Fire you might like Queen of Shadows more. I don't know what it was with this book. I don't know why I loved this book so much more than the others - but I did. My review will have minor spoilers in it but I don't reveal any major plot points or characters.
So in case you didn't know, Queen of Shadows is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, which means I can't really say anything about the plot without spoilers, except that Aelin kicks ass as usual and the plot is pretty explosive!

The characters: I will admit that the Rowan in this book felt completely different to the Rowan in
Heir of Fire, but his character changed for the better so I actually finally liked him! The same goes to Aelin - I FINALLY LIKE HER GUYS. (It's only taken me four books but shhh). Manon continues to be a badass witch, and I loved how we got to see more of Asterin, Sorrel and the Thirteen. The new characters like Nesryn and Elide were really great too, and Dorian broke my heart in Queen of Shadows!

And then there's Chaol. For those of you who don't know, he is basically my favourite character in this series. As in I love him a lot and worry about his safety. He's complicated, tries to do what he thinks is right, and cares so much about Dorian. They're friendship is one of my favourite things in the books. Before reading Queen of Shadows I read a few reviews, and they were negative about what happened towards him, so I was worried. I have to admit that the chapters in the start were a bit rough on my still recovering Chaoleana heart, but by the end of the book I was happy with how the plot played out (although the ending broke my heart!).

The Plot: I couldn't not read this book, that was how riveting the plot was. Sarah J Maas linked everything together and foreshadowed events beautifully, and I loved what happened. I liked how Manon's story finally linked in with the rest of the crew (or Aelin's Squad as my friend calls them!) and Elide's subplot was really interesting. The results of the events in Queen of Shadows are definitely going to have repercussions in Empire of Storms, and I'm both nervous and looking forward to seeing what happens next.

The Writing: As usual, Sarah J Maas's writing style draws you in and doesn't let you go! There was only two really minor things that bugged me - that everything Aelin does is with 'feline grace' and that there was a lot of 'incarnates'  in there. But these were minor issues that didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

Overall, I am really excited to see what happens in Empire of Storms and I am so pleased that I loved this book!